“...A Lovely
Place To Cry...”
A 2CD set that
offers fans three Columbia albums from the Golden Couple of Country GEORGE
JONES and TAMMY WYNETTE featuring tales of marital bliss while behind closed
doors they were all the time tearing each other’s throats out - “Me And The
First Lady” (August 1972), “We’re Gonna Hold On” (November 1973) and “Golden
Ring” (1976).
UK released May
2015 – Beat Goes On BGOCD 1183 is a 2CD set (Barcode 5017261211835) which has
the first two albums on Disc 1 (56:36 minutes, 22 tracks) and the 3rd
album on Disc 2 (26:49 minutes, 10 tracks).
This 2LPs on 1CD
comes in BGO’s now standard outer card wrap that lends these releases such a
classy feel, the 12-page booklet features basic recording credits and new liner
notes from noted music writer JOHN O’REGAN with some photos in between. ANDREW
THOMPSON has done the remasters – beautifully transferred – the Audio is superb
- as you would expect with recordings made with the best Columbia had to offer.
Married in a
hurry in 1969 for real, Bob Sherrell Produced all three records for what he
knew was a market hungry for the image of The First Couple of Country. He gave
the public what they wanted – crooning songs espousing martial domestic bliss
with only the occasional hint of Hell, Guns and divorce on the horizon. The
songs on “Me And The First Lady” mostly warble on about how much they love each
other (“we found a life together and it’s gonna last forever...you took away my
sadness...walking every day with gladness...”). Real life between them was apparently
anything but and when they reached for honesty within a tune like the powerful
“A Lovely Place To Cry” (co-written by Wynette with Earl Montgomery) – the
heartache is there – naked like a wound and all the more affecting because of
it. Stuff like “You And Me Together” has the longing of housewives while the
uber-cheesy spoken-and-sung marriage-vows crowd-pleaser “The Ceremony” was
performed with mock nuptials on stage much to the delight of infatuated crowds
in love with their fame, garish cars, flash clothes and gated mansions.
The happy-wappy
Delaney Bramlett song “Never Ending Song of Love” is a cheese puff piece too
far – better is the title track “We’re Gonna Hold On” (a Country Number 1 for
the glamour pair). On the final album “Golden Ring” the old-time ballad “Near
You” gave them another Country Number 1.
Not all genius
for sure – but there’s hurting nuggets in between the happy-faced front and
public show – and the Audio Remaster is gorgeous...
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